Yesterday, the Indiana House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee approved an amendment to Senate Bill 27, creating a path for the Chicago Bears to build a stadium in Hammond, Indiana, which is 33 minutes south of Soldier Field, where the team currently plays.
The legislation confirms that if the Bears were to move to Indiana, their stadium would be located in Hammond. It will also lead to the creation of the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, an organization that would have the power to issue bonds, acquire land, and finance the construction of a stadium.
"The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date," the Bears said in a statement. "We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana."
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity," Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. told the House Ways and Means Committee. “Hammond is ready to partner with the State of Indiana, the Chicago Bears and will do whatever it takes to make this project a success and to welcome the Bears to their new home. This move by the State of Indiana and the Bears tells the rest of the country that Indiana is not just keeping up - it’s leading.”
The Chicago Bears had previously shown an interest in constructing a new stadium in Illinois about 30 miles northwest of Soldier Field, but they would need financial assistance to complete the project, according to the Associated Press. The franchise wrote in a September consultant report that they’re seeking $855 million in public funding to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The team was also hoping that Illinois lawmakers would pass a bill in October that would pause property taxes on large-scale construction projects, but that legislation was not approved.
An Illinois House panel was scheduled to have a hearing on this legislation yesterday morning, but that event was canceled.
"Illinois was ready to move this bill forward," said a spokesperson for Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. "After a productive three-hour meeting yesterday, the Bears leaders requested the ILGA pause the hearing to make further tweaks to the bill. This morning, we were surprised to see a statement lauding Indiana and ignoring Illinois."
The Bears have been playing at Soldier Field, which is owned by the city of Chicago, full-time since 1971. Their lease for Soldier Field runs through 2033, but the franchise could break the lease in 2029 if it pays the city of Chicago $55 million in penalties, according to Capitol News Illinois.
